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Backstroke Technique

Swimming / Popular

Improve body position, arm entry, and rotation in backstroke.

What coaches agree on

  • Exit the water thumb-first with a straight arm on the recovery, then rotate your wrist to enter pinky-first, roughly level with your shoulders. This sets up the early-vertical-forearm catch and takes strain off your shoulder.
  • Let your hand slip in slightly below your shoulder line as it enters the water, on a gentle downhill slope rather than flat or high. This lengthens your body line and sets up a proper catch.
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Common mistakes

  • The most common backstroke error is a poor head position, looking toward your feet or lifting your head up, which sinks your hips and adds drag. Several coaches call this the single biggest mistake in the stroke.
  • A common error is pulling underwater with a straight, locked arm instead of bending the elbow into an early-vertical-forearm position. The arm should only be straight during the above-water recovery; pulling straight-armed underwater also strains the shoulder.
  • A common error is letting the hand or arm cross over the body's midline on entry or during the pull instead of staying at or outside shoulder width. This makes you lose the catch and veer or swim crooked.